Coweta County, Georgia
Coweta County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 127,317. The county seat is Newnan. Coweta County is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The land for Lee, Muscogee, Troup, Coweta and Carroll counties was ceded by the Creek people in the 1825 Treaty of Indian Springs. The counties' boundaries were created by the Georgia General Assembly on June 9, 1826, but they were not named until December 14, 1826. Coweta County was named for the Koweta Indians (a sub-group of the Creek people), who had several towns in and around the present-day county. In the city of Newnan, on April 23, 1899, a notorious lynching occurred after an African-American man by the name of Sam Hose (born Tom Wilkes) was accused of killing his boss, Alfred Cranford. Hose was tortured and burned alive by a lynch mob of approximately 2,000 citizens of Coweta County. Government and politics The legislative body of is the Coweta County Commission, which consists of five members elected from numbered districts. The chairmanship rotates among the members. Coweta County is the only county in Georgia that operates with a rotating chairmanship. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.1%) is water. The eastern half of Coweta County, from Palmetto southwest to Newnan, then south to Luthersville, is in the Upper Flint River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin). The western half is in the Middle Chattahoochee River-Lake Harding sub-basin of the same ACF River Basin. Major highways * Interstate 85 * U.S. Route 27 Alternate * U.S. Route 29 * State Route 14 * State Route 16 * State Route 34 * State Route 34 Bypass * State Route 41 * State Route 54 * State Route 70 * State Route 74 * State Route 85 * State Route 154 * State Route 403 Adjacent counties *Fulton County – northeast *Fayette County – east *Spalding County – southeast *Meriwether County – south *Troup County – southwest *Heard County – west *Carroll County – northwest Demographics |align-fn=center |footnote=U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2013 }} 2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 89,215 people, 31,442 households, and 24,713 families residing in the county. The population density was 202 people per square mile (78/km²). There were 33,182 housing units at an average density of 75 per square mile (29/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 78.86% White, 17.97% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.22% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. 3.14% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 31,442 households out of which 39.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.50% were married couples living together, 12.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.40% were non-families. Of all households 17.60% were made up of individuals and 5.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.17. In the county, the population was spread out with 28.70% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 33.40% from 25 to 44, 21.80% from 45 to 64, and 8.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 98.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.40 males. The median income for a household in the county was $52,706, and the median income for a family was $58,750. Males had a median income of $41,369 versus $27,322 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,949. About 6.10% of families and 7.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.60% of those under age 18 and 10.50% of those age 65 or over. 2010 census As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 127,317 people, 45,673 households, and 34,737 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 50,171 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 75.9% white, 17.3% black or African American, 1.5% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 2.9% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 6.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 22.2% were American, 10.4% were German, 10.4% were Irish, and 9.9% were English. Of the 45,673 households, 41.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.5% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 23.9% were non-families, and 19.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.18. The median age was 36.6 years. The median income for a household in the county was $61,550 and the median income for a family was $68,469. Males had a median income of $51,658 versus $36,535 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,161. About 7.7% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.4% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over. Education The Coweta County School System holds pre-school to grade 12, and consists of nineteen elementary schools, six middle schools and three high schools.Georgia Board of Education, Retrieved August 2, 2014. The system has 1,164 full-time teachers and more than 18,389 students.School Stats, Retrieved August 2, 2014. Private schools in the county include The Heritage School and Trinity Christian School. Mercer University has a Regional Academic Center in Newnan. The center, opened in 2010, offers programs through the university's College of Continuing and Professional Studies. The University of West Georgia has a campus near downtown Newnan on the site of the old Newnan Hospital. This campus offers two undergraduate programs - bachelor of science in nursing and early childhood education."University of West Georgia- Newnan." University of West Georgia. N.p., 2011. Web. 24 Aug 2011. . Newnan is also home to a campus of West Georgia Technical College.http://www.westgatech.edu/locations/coweta.htm>. Notable people * Ellis Gibbs Arnall, governor of Georgia, 1943-1947 * William Yates Atkinson, governor of Georgia, 1894-1896; founded Georgia State College for Women, now Georgia College & State University * Steve Bedrosian, former Major League baseball player; National League Cy Young Award winner in 1987 * Keith Brooking, football player for the Atlanta Falcons and Dallas Cowboys * Erskine Caldwell, author of the novels Tobacco Road and God's Little Acre * Lewis Grizzard, newspaper columnist, author and humorist * Drew Hill, played for the pro football Houston Oilers, Los Angeles Rams and Atlanta Falcons * Sam Hose, African-American man who was brutally murdered by a lynch mob after false accusations of murder and rape * Alan Jackson, country music singer and musician * Joe M. Jackson, colonel, U.S. Air Force, Medal of Honor winner * Warren Newson, played pro baseball for the Chicago White Sox * Stephen W. Pless, major, U.S. Marine Corps, Medal of Honor winner * Jefferson Randolph "Soapy" Smith, confidence man and crime boss * Charles Wadsworth, retired director of the Chamber Music Society at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts * Jerome Walton, former Major League baseball player; Rookie of the Year in the National League in 1989 * Rutledge Wood, auto racing analyst and host of Top Gear Communities Cities * Grantville * Newnan * Palmetto (partly in Fulton County) * Senoia Towns * Haralson * Moreland * Sharpsburg * Turin Census-designated place * East Newnan Other unincorporated communities * Corinth (partly in Heard County) * Raymond * Roscoe * Sargent Politics See also * National Register of Historic Places listings in Coweta County, Georgia References External links * http://www.coweta.ga.us/ * http://www.rootsweb.com/~gacoweta/ * A Coweta websites for family history * A Coweta website for the African American Heritage Museum News * Fox 5 Hot List for CCAAHRC * A church and cemetery website for Coweta and surrounding Counties * Coweta County historical marker *OnlineCoweta, local website for Newnan and Coweta counties Category:Coweta County, Georgia Category:1826 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Coweta Category:Counties of Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Settlements established in 1826